Shared online workouts lift spirits during detachment’s home isolation

FRIENDSVILLE, Tenn. — U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the Air National Guard training and education center in East Tennessee are not taking their current seclusion for the global pandemic sitting down but instead exercising through shared video workouts.

The I.G. Brown Training and Education Center’s online fitness classes are a means to tackle the COVID-19 adversity together, said the staff and faculty.

The Tuesday through Friday, 10:20 a.m., workouts are challenging. Still, there is plenty of camaraderie and encouragement that radiates from the computer screen, tablet, or smartphone. The 25-minute Zoom meetings that began on April 7 are open to service members and their families and continue for the foreseeable future.

Continue reading “Shared online workouts lift spirits during detachment’s home isolation” →

Chalk Talk: New Year’s resolutions

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ebonie Hills, enlisted PME instructor and professional bodybuilder, spotlights TEC’s fitness equipment in this video news series: Chalk Talk. In this episode, she talks about fitness as a New Year’s resolution.* (U.S. Air National Guard video/Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith) #USAF #ANG #fitness #chalktalk

* Talk to a doctor before embarking on or ramping up any exercise. Always read/follow the manufacturer’s guidelines first on the safe and proper use of any equipment.

Airmen get foggy for fitness

U.S. Air Force Airmen enrolled in Airman Leadership School Class 20-1 exercised at the campus track on this foggy Monday morning, October 28, outside the Smoky Mountains at the Lankford enlisted professional military education center, in East Tennessee.

Continue reading “Airmen get foggy for fitness” →

The value of inclusion

Editor’s note: This is the second article in an ongoing series in which the Air National Guard’s I.G. Brown Training and Education Center staff and faculty share their perspectives and spark discussion about its lines of effort.

I gained a renewed value for a culture of acceptance this summer by joining my unit’s softball team in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Not having played much baseball in my life, I decided to play with the Air National Guard I.G. Brown Training and Education Center’s “Notorious TEC” when the captain, Sergeant Smyser, told me it was just for fun and that the team was not overly serious.

Continue reading “The value of inclusion” →

Base’s softball game a home run for camaraderie

ALCOA, Tenn. — Airmen and their families from the Air National Guard’s I.G. Brown Training and Education Center and the Tennessee National Guard’s 134th Air Refueling Wing joined for a unit Vs. unit softball game Friday, May 17, at Springbrook Park in Alcoa, Tennessee.

“This is an opportunity to team build a bit, which does not happen enough,” U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Juan P. Castro, assigned to the education center, said.

Continue reading “Base’s softball game a home run for camaraderie” →